


Art Reflects Life

by Ellienerd14



Category: Radio Silence - Alice Oseman
Genre: Canon Compliant, Carys as February, Daled cuteness, Featuring: the internet, Feels, M/M, Other, The end of UC, and my never ending love for Radio Silence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-02 21:11:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14
Summary: "I feel like we're in Universe City.""In what way?""Radio's trapped in Universe City. And someone's finally heard him. Someone is going to rescue him."(Radio Silence, pg 360)-In which the end of Universe City is near and everyone's feeling bittersweet about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Podcasts**

**Universe City Writer Teases Reveal of A Years Old Mystery And Fans Lost It**

**Radio** **✔️** **| @UniverseCity**

> **after all this time, screaming, you whisper back. but what do i say now, to you, after all this time, after all these lonely Fridays?**

**(@touloser, @radiocity, @d.jun, @atlasrocks and 2,908 others retweeted this)**

**Frances** **✔️ | @touloser**

**(Retweeted @UniverseCity)**

> **Guys, before you ask, yes radio is talking about who you think… and she’s voicing a character. Stay tuned for the next ep of UC! You won’t want to miss it!**

**Huffle | @mycatisbetterthanyours**

**(replying to @touloser)**

> **Ok, ok, Frances confirmed it, we’re gonna find out who February is! Can’t wait to break the internet. #universecity**

**Angel | @jimmysangels**

**(replying to @UniverseCity)**

> **ITS HAPPENING**

**Ali | @mysterious-girl-99**

**(replying to @touloser)**

> **This is literally the best day of my life (no offence babe @atlasrocks)**

**Kat | @atlasrocks**

**(replying to @touloser and @mysterious-girl-99)**

> **For February I’ll pretend not to read that**

**All hail Ellen | @snarty-queen-**

**(Replying to @UniverseCity)**

> **yeah February Friday is cool but when will bibble return from the dead #justiceforbibble #makeittrend**

**Lucas Ryan | @lifeislikecardhouses-falling**

**(Replying to @UniverseCity and @snarty-queen-)**

> **Fans like you ruin the beauty of @UniverseCity**
> 
> **Bibble was a character from an April’s fool episode. Get over it.**

**All hail Ellen | @snarty-queen-**

**(Replying to @UniverseCity and @lifeislikecardhouses-falling)**

> **Stop being a twat #justiceforbibble**

**Elle | @totallynotanalien**

**(Replying to @touloser)**

> **So February is a girl? Or played by a girl? You said ‘she’?**
> 
> **Is this a hint?**

**Frances** **✔️ | @touloser**

**(Replying to @totallynotanalien)**

> **oops**


	2. Chapter 2

**FRANCES**

“Aled, you’re trending.”

“Mark the day,” I tease, “that Cambridge science geek Daniel Jun said the word ‘trending’ outloud.” 

Daniel ignores me, like usual, we’re friends now but he stills acts like we’re lifelong rivals. 

He’s lying down, with his head of Aled’s lap, scrolling through the replies. He looks proud of his boyfriend, which is kind of heart warming and all, but if he Aled start snogging, I will go home. 

“How’s the reaction?” Aled asks, he’s on his phone too, but on the boots website, after hair dye, “good or bad?” 

“A mix. The Bibble girl is back again.” 

Aled grins. “Classic Bibble girl.” 

Daniel laughs. “I still thinks she’s Raine in disguise.” 

“Or Carys. She loves stirring up fandom drama.” 

“How do you think they’ll react,” Aled asks, turning to look at me, “to February being Radio’s sister? My sister.”

“They’ll be some mad shippers,” I answer, thinking of the many Tumblr theories and Reddit threads on who February is, “but there will be all the fans from the start who have an answer. And Universe City is like your life, so it makes sense.” 

Aled pulls on his sleeves. “What did you think about February Friday?” 

“I thought it was Daniel for a bit.” 

He goes a bit red. “Me?” 

“I read a lot of theories about it being romantic.” 

Aled smiles. “Like it would be about this nerd.” 

Daniel rolls his eyes. “I feel so loved.” 

Aled leans down to kiss the top of Daniel’s nose. I’m torn between feeling like a third wheel and going ‘aww’ out loud. “Better?” 

Instead I laugh at how red the tip of his nose (and the rest of his face) turns and reply to tweets with Brooklyn Nine Nine gifs and emojis. 

“I can’t believe it’s ending,” Aled says, after some more scrolling, “six years and now we’re down to the last four episodes.” 

I think of all the late nights before I met Aled, properly at least, falling to sleep to his voice. I think of the drama when we made a drunk episode in a tent and how losing him as a result was like being torn apart. I think of all the fans that will get to connect the gloves and February's identity to Carys’ voice, finally listening to Radio’s cries for help. 

I think about how the  _ last _ episode sounds so final. 

I know Aled will always be my friend and it’s the right time for the end of Universe City (if it does have to end). 

The plot threads are coming together, we know about the inside of the Dark Blue Room, about Atlas’ redemption arc, about why Radio wears gloves. 

All that’s left is Letters to February. And Radio’s rescue, which is partly based off the time my school was on fire, Doctor Who and the actual rescue of Aled, two years ago. 

I don’t know how to put this all in words so I just say: “same.” 

I open my phone up again and embrace the fans’ excitement. 


	3. Chapter 3

**ALED**

I know she’s my sister, but I still find Carys a bit intimating. She’s taller than me, even out of her spiky boots, and so put together. Carys has her own flat and a job that’s stable. I’m living off student loans, Youtube and my boyfriend’s parents hospitality. 

I fiddle with the pastel toned electric guitar (I needed to use my student loan money for something and Mum sold my old one), strumming out random chords, for the sake of having something to do with hands. 

“You’re good.” Carys looks over the top of her pink sunglasses, “I thought Mum would make you give guitar up.” 

“It was a treat,” I answer, “I guess.” 

“Still remember our song?” Carys asks, tapping the desk with her nails. 

I do remember the chords and soon we fall into an easy rhythm to the beat of ‘Seven Nation Army’. 

We've been singing this song together since we were kids and it’s easy to forget we’re not at home anymore, to let my new home, Daniel’s home, melt away. It’s like we’re eleven again, messing around in the band room at primary, before everything went to shit. 

Carys laughs with the final note. “Aled.” 

“Yeah?” 

She grins at me. “I’ve missed this.” 

“God, me too.” 

My phone lights up. 

“That Dan?” Carys asks. 

“Raine’s giving him a lift. He’ll be ten minutes.” 

“And you’ll wait for him?” 

I finish my text with a few heart emojis. (I blame Frances. She’s an emoji fiend.) 

“Yeah.” 

I don’t know why she asks this. Carys seems to think I’m madly in love with Daniel. She finds out childhood romance  _ sweet _ . (And I don’t go into the bad parts when I tell her about it. That wouldn’t be fair on Dan, when we agreed to put it behind us.) 

“Why didn’t you ask me to go on your podcast before?” Carys asks, her tone almost too casual, like she’s rehearsed how to ease such a loaded question into conversation. 

“I didn’t know where you were.” 

She flinches and I feel a little bad. But it takes more than just snark to get past Carys when she’s determined. 

“What about after that? After all this uni drama was over? You kept calling out for me when you had my phone number.” 

I pull my jumper at my hands. “February Friday is part of Universe City. It’s most of the fans favourite part.” 

“So, you’re the creator, will Radio still miss the way things used to be with her when they’re reunited?”

I shrug.  _ Hurry up Dan.  _

Carys continues: “Or does it take more.” 

“More than what?” 

“More than a podcast.” Carys does a little shrug of her own. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just dumb. But unpicking all those metaphors you write is hard. And then I saw a tweet that said ‘don’t you ever wish that you could ask the Creator all your questions and get a clear answer?’ And then I realised that I could just ask you.” 

_ I'm shouting so loudly, but you never turn around to see me.  _

“You’re not dumb,” I say instead of anything helpful. Then, “I just didn’t want to face Mum and the future without you, I guess.” 

“You could have asked.” 

I remember when I was little and Daniel dared me to go the whole of lunch without laughing. He kept telling awful academic puns but I never once cracked. And I played that game at home too. Carys had shouted at me eventually because I was already too quiet. “Al, say something! Stop scaring me!” 

“I’m not good at asking.” 

“I thought you were mad at me for leaving,” Carys admits, “I thought she loved you more than me. I thought you’d be safe. I’m sorry.” 

She wraps her arms around me. 

“I’ll be your February,” Carys whispers, “I would have voiced her from the start. You just had to ask.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating at Last (haha).   
> Angst is a key ingredient in writing.   
> I’ll post a bit of extract from February and Radio meeting next I think. I just gotta figure out how to format it.

**Author's Note:**

> Playing around with the format so there will be some text heavy chapters, some internet based chapters (with cameos) and some of the actual podcast. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see. :)


End file.
